Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

32 reviews

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book grabs the reader by the throat and forces us to reckon with the horrors of the past along with the characters and understand how these structures loom over us today. Like the FMC Mira, we are witnesses, and how can we just go along with our complicity after we’ve seen, heard and felt our way through this story?

Overall, this was powerful, necessary, unrelenting, brutal and harsh. This was also the first book I’ve ever read that had satirical elements that were so deeply unfunny and made me realize that satire doesn't hinge on humour. 

A note on format:

I read this 50/50 audio and physical. I did prefer the physical, but only because I needed more time with the book. To read and re-read, to sit and think about the passages I read. To re-visit certain chapters for reflection. And to immerse myself in the lyrical writing of LaTanya McQueen.  

That being said, the narration was superb, and I think there were certain performance elements the narrator made that increased the horror of the book. My preference for the physical was despite the fact that the narrator was great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

skogsheks's review against another edition

dark sad

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

faith_06's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Slavery

yennsciri's review against another edition

2.0

I started writing a full, long review but I felt like I just started ranting and was no longer coherent. I do not believe this book is well-written, nor do I think it does its subject a service. I don't think it's harmful per se, but it feels like a first draft and it's frustrating to read. Inconsistencies in tone, characters that are either caricatures or barely fleshed out at all, a romantic subplot that just pissed me off in how meaningless it felt, and horrible pacing all made this book infuriating. 

What's worse is there are moments where I see good shine through. Specifically, whenever we are not following Mira. But when we're with her (which is 90% of the book), this book feels like very little. I'm disappointed :( I thought this would be so much more than it is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

sarahreadssometimes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

 When the Reckoning Comes is a brutally honest book that looks at the US’s history with slavery and does a great job paralleling it to the systemic racism that African Americans face in modern times. The book can be hard to read at times, but it is meant to be that way. The scenes are supposed to leave you shocked and devastated, so I think that aspect was really well handled. I also think that the evolution the main character went through in the book was interesting and well-developed. The back half of the book had a dark, eery atmosphere that I enjoyed, and it had a few twists and turns that surprised me. Overall, I think it was a really great thematic book, but I think the pacing and tone throughout was a bit off. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Murder

libraryoflanelle's review

3.0

Quick casual review ahead:

This book was very mid and honestly a little forgettable. I had a fun enough time listening and was definitely hooked enough to want to find out what happened. However, I felt like the themes around enslavement and white supremacy could have been explored in a lot more depth. I simultaneously felt that I could have enjoyed the storyline significantly more in a short story form as there were many aspects of the overarching plot that were predictable and drawn out.

Overall I had a fun enough time but was very much left wanting more! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, and Pedophilia

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

calatheacat's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Gun violence

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book is short but it packed a huge gut punch for me. I couldn't read it at night because I would get too upset and overwhelmed by the detail and sheer horror of everything that was happening, but I still really liked it. The writing was immersive and gorgeous, made even better by listening to the audiobook while I read along physically. I usually hate romantic subplots in thrillers and horror, but I honestly thought that the one happening here was believable and I was rooting for it. The only thing that gives me pause is that I wanted a little more from this ending and there are some things that I would like clarification on re: the supernatural element. In some ways, I totally get why it ended the way it did and why I won't get that clarification, but it would still be nice to have it not end so abruptly and to have some answers. Overall, this was a good one. Authors using horror to address real life issues are one of my favorite types of authors to read so I will definitely look out for more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Police brutality, and Alcohol

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This isn’t horror like scary ghost and slashers. It’s the horror of history and men. 

The start of this was kind of boring I’m not going to lie because nothing really happened. But the last like 20% had my jaw on the floor multiple times and not because it’s necessarily shocking, but because it was so disturbing and anger inducing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism